Artworks

Seated Senju Kannon, Sanjūsangendō

Artwork · Tankei · 1251–1254 · sculpture · Sanjūsangen-dō Temple

The magnum opus of Tankei (1173–1256), Unkei’s eldest son, who led the Kei studio after 1223 and, for the rebuilding of the Sanjūsangendō, also hired sculptors of the rival In and En schools. The central image of the altar was begun in 1251 and finished three years later, when he was eighty-two — his last work, made with two assistants. Hinoki in yosegi-zukuri, lacquered and gilded, with quartz eyes; the thousand arms are graded in size, the six largest close to the body. An image of dignity and serenity, easily overlooked amid the sea of statues. 1 Mason 2005, p. 195, fig. 226. ↩ Literatur Mason 2005: Penelope E. Mason, History of Japanese Art, 2nd, Pearson Education LTD. 2005.